


From Embers to Flames

by TheHepburn



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting With Magic, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Growing Up Together, M/M, Magic Reveal, Merthur - Freeform, Multi, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, Underage Use of Marijuana
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-16 04:41:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19310818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHepburn/pseuds/TheHepburn
Summary: Merlin and Arthur meet on a playground when they're children. This is the story of them growing up together.





	From Embers to Flames

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is entirely self-indulgent. Please bear with me.

The playground didn’t usually have many children in it. It was rather old with creaking swing sets and monkey bars that were rusting from years of rain. But it was the playground Merlin always went to. It was close to home and familiar to him as his own backyard. And he wasn’t used to sharing it, at least with someone so rambunctious.

The other kid couldn’t have been more than a year older than Merlin himself, with neatly cut blond hair that had been properly mussed by his somersaults over the asphalt. He slashed the nearby trees with a stick until it broke in two and he hung himself upside down from the monkey bars, his red shirt falling into his face and revealing his belly. He twirled himself around, landing with both feet on the bark and looking smugly around before his eyes met Merlin’s.

Merlin crossed his arms over his chest indignantly but couldn’t help but grin. “You should be careful. You could hurt yourself,” he glanced at the old bars, “or worse, break the monkey bars.”

The kid scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I’m _not_ going to hurt myself; I’ve done it a thousand times. You’re just jealous because you’re too scared to try it.”

Merlin was a fairly rational child, his mother always told him so with great pride, but he was also quite stubborn. This was clearly a challenge being issued by a pompous little boy with too much pride to leave any room for sense and, honestly, Merlin really wanted to see the look on his face when Merlin twisted off those monkey bars like- well, like a monkey, he supposed.

He stalked over to the boy’s side, jumping from the ground and grasping the bar above his head. He swung his legs up with all his might and hooked his heel over a bar a few rungs in front of him. He shifted until it was tucked securely behind his knees and then he very carefully lowered his torso and let his hands go.

Merlin’s shirt also fell into his face but unlike the other boy, he pushed it back in place and tucked it into his trousers. He looked over and the boy seemed to be growing impatient, staring at him expectantly. Merlin gulped but reached up and once again grabbed a bar before twisting around and letting his legs fall toward the ground. The only problem was that he let go with his hands a little early and ended up stumbling and falling onto his butt.

The boy looked like he was going to say something or possibly laugh, but Merlin pushed himself to his feet and scowled at him before he could get it out, a red flush creeping over Merlin’s ears. “I-I could’ve done it, I just….”

The boy’s face shifted and suddenly he looked a little sympathetic. “It’s okay.” He said, “Next time try holding on with your hands a little longer. It just takes practice.”

Merlin was grateful for the lack of mocking and eyed the monkey bars warily. “I don’t know….What’s your name, anyway?”

“Oh,” the boy said, brushing his hands on his trousers before offering one to Merlin to shake, “I’m Arthur Pendragon.”

He said it as though it was a great title that bestowed him some kind of power and that Merlin should be somewhat in awe. Merlin wasn’t. He didn’t mind, though.

“I’m Merlin Emrys,” Merlin said, taking Arthur’s hand, “do you go to school around here?”

Arthur kicked at the bark, looking sullen. He shrugged, “I don’t go to school, I have a private tutor.”

Arthur wasn’t looking at him, as though he was embarrassed at the admittance. But Merlin didn’t think of it as embarrassing, but rather something they might have in common, omitting the private tutor part. “Me too! Er, I don’t really have a tutor but I’m homeschooled.”

Arthur smiled at that, the tension leaving his shoulders as he glanced around, looking more at ease. “Hey, let me show you something.”

Merlin didn’t have time to say anything before Arthur was climbing up the slide and onto the roof of the play structure. He carefully made his way to the edge, peering over and gauging the height before he bent his knees in a move to jump.

“Wait!” Merlin yelped, pausing Arthur in his tracks. “Don’t be stupid, you’ll break a bone!”

“I’m not stupid, _Mer_ lin. I know I can do this,” He glanced over the edge once more and a stern resolution washed over his face, “it’s not that high, anyhow. Stop being a baby.”

Merlin didn’t like being called a baby and he had half a mind to go up there himself and _push_ Arthur off that thing, but he wouldn’t do that; if not for whatever moral compass he had in his tiny seven year-old body, then for his mother who would certainly have a heart attack when she found out.

Merlin noticed Arthur’s slight hesitation as he prepared for his leap, his eyes skittering over to a man pacing at the side of the playground. He wore a grey suit with a blood red handkerchief folded in his breast pocket, a black mobile held up to his ear. He wasn’t even looking over at them, though it was clear Arthur was wanting of his attention.

The lack of care on the man’s part seemed to only resolve Arthur further as he took a deep breath and then pushed off the dulled yellow plastic of the structure. Merlin panicked, stopping time before he realized what he was doing.

He shouldn’t have done such a thing, his mother would be furious and absolutely beside herself with a new bout of worry that his magic would be discovered. But it had kind of just…happened. Merlin looked around, making sure that no one had been left unfrozen before he tentatively stepped forward toward Arthur.

He noticed right away that Arthur was going to land wrong, probably with the result of a sprained ankle. Merlin used his magic to adjust Arthur just slightly and to lower him a bit closer to the ground, as to lessen the fall.

He stepped back to his original spot and silently commanded time to proceed. Arthur let out a little grunting yell before he landed on both feet and stumbled forward a few steps before righting himself. He looked up with wide blue eyes, his breathing suddenly erratic.

“Did you see that?” He asked, looking back at where he’d jumped.

Merlin’s heart skipped a beat. He was certain his face must’ve been bright red but he had to continue on in his lie. “See what?”

Arthur looked bewildered, “I just- I jumped and then I felt- you didn’t…?”

“Merlin!” Merlin’s mother, Hunith, yelled as she came crashing towards them, almost skidding on her knees. She looked at Arthur and scanned him with her eyes, “are you alright, dear boy? You shouldn’t jump from such heights, where are your parents?”

Arthur actually looked ashamed, twisting his hands together and avoiding looking Merlin’s mother in the face before he nodded toward the man off to the side, still looking away and still on his phone.

Hunith’s features softened and she gave Arthur’s arm a gentle rub, though the look she tossed back to Merlin wasn’t nearly so compassionate and the scowl she directed at the man was even less so. “Would you like me to talk to him?”

Arthur’s round eyes grew wide and he shook his head, “no, please. It’s all right, I swear! I’m not hurt and my father lets me jump from things _all_ the time. Please, ma’am, I won’t do it again.”

Hunith seemed amused and surprised by the use of ‘ma’am’ but still, she bit her lip and glanced between the boy and his neglectful father. Merlin could tell she was on the precipice of marching up to the finely tailored suit with a particularly snobbish-looking owner and telling him to pull his head out of his…word-Merlin-wasn’t-allowed-to-even-think before she was forced to adopt a second child.

However, instead of doing that, she simply shook her head and smiled as amiably and sweetly as she could at Arthur. “Alright then, if you promise. You and Merlin can play a bit longer and I’ll be just over there on that bench if you ever feel like jumping off of something again.”

Arthur chuckled shyly and looked at Merlin expectantly before giving Hunith an enthusiastic nod. He immediately turned and grabbed Merlin by the arm, dragging him away with all the strength of an eight year-old. “Come on, Merlin, you’re going to push me on the swings!”

“I am _not!”_

* * *

 

Merlin pushed the peas on his plate around with his fork as if they were little balls of magic fish oil and if he consumed them then he’d be doomed to turn into a giant catfish. He hated peas and his mother knew this, and yet she still tormented him. She knew he liked green beans and broccoli and even asparagus, for god’s sake! Any other green would be more tempting than peas, besides perhaps brussel sprouts.

“Can I call Arthur back yet?” He called from the dining table to his mother who was washing up in the kitchen.

Arthur had called earlier in the day but Merlin had been out playing- or at least _trying_ to play with some of the neighborhood kids. It hadn’t been spectacular as they treated him as more of a nuisance than anything else but he’d persist, nonetheless.

Merlin had been sure to exchange numbers with Arthur before he left the playground, not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to make a friend when his social group was so small, even if that new friend was a bit of a prat.

Arthur had called five times before and they’d met up at the playground twice since their initial meeting. Though Arthur’s arrogance hadn’t dimmed, he was showing himself to be capable of some modicum of humility, at least. He hadn’t been coy in his excitement to hang out at the park again and he’d even praised Merlin’s talents when he’d succeeded in doing one singular pull-up on the monkey bars.

“Not until you’ve finished your veggies!” Hunith replied, the sound of dishes clattering into the sink drifting in from the room.

Merlin groaned, slumping further into his seat and considering the consequences of throwing a bit of a fit to get his way. But that never went over well; Hunith was just as stubborn as he. Instead, Merlin spied the old ornate dish on the hutch, filled with little trinkets and random assortments of batteries and other tiny, insignificant objects. It was barely ever touched.

It was a bit high up so he’d have to climb in order to reach it.

Or…

Merlin looked at his peas and willed them to levitate off his plate and go floating across the room and surreptitiously land in the bowl without a peep. He was rather proud of himself, not so much for the cheating out of his vegetables as his increased ability to correctly maneuver objects through the air. It wasn’t exactly something he could go gloating about, though.

“Finished!”

It wasn’t three seconds later that Hunith stood in the archway, eyebrow raised so high it may as well have been part of her hairline. She stared down at Merlin’s now-empty plate, a suspicious purse to her lips. “Merlin Emrys, you know I don’t take kindly to lying.”

“I-I’m not lying!” Merlin lied.

He could be such a horrid liar. His ears would turn pink, his blue eyes wavering in uncertainty, and his little hands clenching whatever was closest to him, in this case it was the edge of the chair he was currently sitting on.

Hunith shook her head in exasperated resignation. “If you refuse to tell the truth then I suppose that just means you can’t call Arthur back.”

Merlin’s face crumpled. He hadn’t expected that. “No! Please, mom, I’m sorry! My peas are in that bowl on the hutch. I’m sorry, please let me call Arthur. Please, please, please. He’s one of my only friends!” Hunith could hardly get a word in edgewise before Merlin was starting to tear up in panic. “What if- what if he doesn’t want to be friends with me if I don’t call him back? Mom, please-“

“Merlin,” Hunith said gently, a sigh settling on her lips. She suddenly looked very tired and very sad. She knelt next to him and cupped his face in her hands. “He’ll still want to be friends with you, why wouldn’t he? Look, you’re brave and funny and you might be an awful liar but you’re the sweetest boy alive.”

Merlin let out a wet giggle, wiping away the few tears that had trailed down his cheeks. Hunith pushed his shaggy hair back out of his eyes, placing a lingering kiss to his forehead. “Darling, you have to listen to me. You can’t use magic to get rid of your peas or to win hide-and-seek or anything else. It’s dangerous, even when we’re alone. And you shouldn’t lie to me. I’m your mother; I can always tell when you’re lying anyway.” She tilted his chin up so he’d look her in the eyes. “Do you understand?”

Merlin nodded, sniffling. “Can I please call Arthur now?”

Hunith gave him a short hug. “Go ahead, then. Thank you for telling me where the peas are.”

Merlin grinned ear-to-ear, placing a chaste kiss to his mother’s cheek before pushing off his chair and practically running to the landline in the living room. He quickly dialed Arthur’s number and waited impatiently as it rang on the other end. After three rings, someone picked up.

“Pendragon residence, Uther Pendragon speaking.” The voice said. It was a man’s voice and Merlin thought he recognized it as Arthur’s father’s from when he was speaking on his cellphone at the playground. He was used to a maid or the nanny picking up, not Uther himself.

“Um, is Arthur there?” Merlin asked, a little uncertain and more than a bit nervous to talk to Mr. Pendragon.

“And who, exactly, am I speaking to?” The man asked, not a shred of sympathy in his voice.

“I’m Merlin, Arthur’s friend.”

Uther seemed to mull this over for a moment, the silence stretching on over the phone. “I don’t recall Arthur having any friends by the name of Merlin.”

Merlin was certain Arthur must have mentioned him at least once, even if Uther didn’t remember him from the park. But now he was a little unsure, maybe Arthur didn’t want people to know he was friends with Merlin.

“Well, he does.” Merlin snapped with a roll of his eyes before realizing who he was talking to, shutting his mouth with an impish squeak.

Uther huffed over the line and, to Merlin’s surprise, he sounded quite amused. “Very well, one moment.”

Arthur was on the phone less than a minute later. “Hi, Merlin!”

“Hi, Arthur. Sorry I missed your call…”

“It’s okay, I wasn’t supposed to be on the phone, anyway; I had lessons. Are you- are you okay? Your voice sounds a little funny.”

Merlin blushed, not noticing that his earlier blubber had left his voice raw and his nose a bit stuffy. “Yeah, I’m fine, _mom._ ”

Merlin tried to brush him off even though he found Arthur’s concern to be quite sweet. He just really didn’t want him to know he’d cried, especially over something so seemingly trivial.

Arthur scoffed but Merlin could hear him hesitate before continuing, as if deliberating whether he should call Merlin out on his lie or not. “Sure, _Mer_ lin,” he settled on, “I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up at the park tomorrow? It’s okay if you can’t, obviously, but my nanny said she’d take me and I’m finally caught up on my lessons so-“

“Yeah! It might be a little rainy, though…” Merlin glanced out the living room window at the drizzle dripping down from the clouds and the heavy droplets of water that fell from the roof’s edge onto the lawn.

Arthur let out a huff of air in mild frustration. “Maybe I could…go to your house? You said it was close to the park, yeah?”

Merlin looked around at his small living room and the little dining area directly adjacent. His house wasn’t very spectacular, as much as he loved it. The furniture was old and there was only one bathroom with a temperamental showerhead that liked to spray unsuspecting victims with icy rivulets at twenty miles an hour. Not that Arthur would be using the shower, but it was reflective of the state of the whole place.

It wasn’t bad, by any means. It was quite average if Merlin had to guess. The only problem was that Arthur was anything but average, with his family’s overwhelming wealth that gave him a nanny and private tutor and maids and who knows what else. The closest Merlin had to a private tutor was his Uncle Gaius, a retired professor that helped Hunith handle rent while she worked from home and took online teaching courses to become a kindergarten teacher.   

“Um, yeah…yeah, you can come to mine. I’ll have to ask my mom but I think she’ll be okay with it.”

“Cool!” Merlin pretended not to hear the relief in Arthur’s voice. “You can give me your address and then call me after you’ve asked your mom.”

“Okay, yeah.” Merlin gave Arthur his address all the while feeling rather nervous. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of where he lived, but rather that he was anxious Arthur would deem it unsuitable and Merlin would have to fight him and then what would become of their friendship?

* * *

 

The knock on the front door came at exactly noon. Merlin wasn’t tall enough to see through the peephole, so he settled on peeking out the front window. Arthur stood at the front door, a daunting woman at his shoulder. Her features were rather severe but she held a small smile and gave Arthur a reassuring pat on the back.

Merlin got to the door before his mother did and he opened it enough to reveal himself but nothing more. “Hi, Arthur.” Merlin glanced up at the woman and gave her a sheepish grin. “Hi, Ms. Rose.”

“Hi, Merlin! Rose is just dropping me off. Right?” Arthur looked up at her and she nodded before turning her gaze toward Merlin and leaning down to shake his hand. Most adults didn’t bother to shake his hand, this was nice.

“Pleasure to see you again, Merlin,” she said, “don’t let Arthur drag you into too much trouble.”

Arthur made an indignant noise of protest but before he could say anything to his defense, Hunith was at the threshold. Merlin and his mother both had already made Rose’s acquaintance at one of their previous playdates at the park. After their initial meeting, Rose was the only one to escort Arthur to their get-togethers.  

“Ah, hello, Arthur, Rose.” Hunith smiled at them politely, “It must be chilly out there, please come inside.” She stepped aside, and Merlin followed to allow them in. Arthur’s head swiveled around as he took in his surroundings. He didn’t look impressed but he didn’t make a face of repulsion or any such suggestion, either.

“You have a lovely home,” Rose said, “Arthur was so excited to come today, he-“

“Rose!” Arthur interjected, giving his nanny a curt look.

She huffed a laugh but didn’t waver. “Don’t take such a tone with me, little Pendragon. I’m only being conversational and I’m not saying anything that isn’t true.”

Arthur deflated, “yes, Rose.”

She gave him a look that seemed to convey more than words. Arthur turned bright red at the embarrassing situation. “Yes, _Ms._ Rose.”

Rose turned back to Hunith, an amused look on her face. “Arthur here has expressed he’s afraid I’ll _embarrass_ him somehow. As if I’d be capable of such a thing!” She winked.

Arthur’s faced continued to pinch tighter in humiliation.

Hunith looked between them with a sense of mirth in her eyes. “Please, Rose, have a seat, if you have the time. Would you like a cup of tea?”

Rose obliged happily, setting her large purse next to her on the couch, her legs crossed at the knees. “I would love some, thank you.”

“Rose!” Arthur exclaimed, once again, in distress, his tiny hands balled into fists, “you said you were just dropping me off!”

“Arthur, don’t be rude!” Her eyebrows drew together, her tone serious and stern, “Such outbursts will not be tolerated, period, young man, let alone while we’re guests in someone’s home. You will graciously allow me to socialize and have some tea while you and Merlin go along and play.”

Merlin felt awkward witnessing someone else’s personal squabble, like he should turn around and cover his ears, but something told him that Rose was in no mood to spare Arthur the embarrassment she saw he only wrought on himself.

Arthur seemed to teeter on the edge of whether to continue arguing or not before releasing a long exhale of breath, recognizing defeat when it stared him down with steely grey eyes. He turned toward Merlin and a sort of resolution settled over his face. He stalked over and grabbed Merlin by the wrist, pulling him further into the house despite him not knowing where he was going. “Come on, _Mer_ lin, show me your room.”

Merlin could hear Rose laugh dryly from the other room, uttering an apology to Hunith for Arthur’s behavior. Merlin knew his mother wouldn’t mind, she was used to such temper tantrums and had cultivated the patience of a saint.

Merlin tugged his wrist free from Arthur’s grasp, forcing him to stop in the hallway by the staircase. Arthur gave him a silent look of indignation, “come on, Merlin, let’s _go!_ ”

Merlin rolled his eyes but smiled before leading Arthur up the stairs and down to the last door, opening it to reveal his tiny room. Merlin tried not to let any insecurity show, instead puffing out his chest as if daring Arthur to say something negative about the small space.

He knew Arthur must have a large room, probably lavish with toys and fancy gadgets, given that his family was rich. Like, _really_ rich. But Merlin quite liked his bedroom. He had a twin-sized bed with a blue comforter and pillowcase decorated with stars. He had a desk under the only window in the room -save for the square skylight in the ceiling that Merlin used to look at the swirling blacks and blues of the sky at night- and a dresser at the foot of his bed, a bookshelf shoved into the corner with little action figures set up in a scene on top.

Posters adorned the otherwise drab, off-white walls, varying from Godzilla (a movie he’d never seen but thought the poster looked cool) to Harry Potter, a franchise he found joy in due to his peculiar, unique situation that helped him find likeness in the protagonist.

Arthur stepped in and glanced around, immediately walking up to the bookshelf and grabbing one of the plastic dragons, looking at it enthusiastically. “I’ve always wanted to be a knight, you know.” Arthur looked up at Merlin, shrugging, “slay dragons and all that stuff.”

Merlin didn’t understand, coming up and gently grabbing the figurine from Arthur’s hand. “Why would you slay a dragon?”

That seemed to confuse his friend, his face scrunching up oddly. “Why _wouldn’t_ you? If dragons were real, they’d burn down everything and eat people! They’re monsters, obviously, _Merlin._ ”

Merlin scoffed, examining his toy with a frown. “No, they’re not. Dragons are awesome, you-you could ride them!”

Arthur smiled at that, taking the toy back and leaping onto Merlin’s bed, hopping up and down as he held the dragon above his head. “Tell you what, if you can get this dragon back then you’re right and dragons are good. I’ll even give you a ride on my back.”

“Nuh-uh, I’m too heavy. You’d fall over.”

Arthur gave him an unimpressed look, “you’re _tiny_ , Merlin. Besides, I’m like, super strong. I can do a hundred push-ups.”

Merlin crossed his arms, eyeing Arthur skeptically, “no you can’t.”

“Yes, I can! Here, I’ll show you.” Arthur dropped the dragon onto the bed and hopped down, quickly getting into a push-up position, his butt sticking up in the air. He bent his arms and touched his chin to the floor, once then twice, and so on.

Merlin giggled, flopping down onto his friend’s back, pinning him to the floor. “Bet you can’t do a push-up now!”

“Ow! Merlin, get off!” Arthur laughed as he squirmed under Merlin, shoving him to the side before scrambling away and nipping the dragon off the bed, holding it behind his back. “I told you I could do it!”

“That wasn’t a hundred push-ups!”

“Well you jumped on me!” Arthur chuckled as Merlin lunged at him and tried to grab the toy. “Wait, wait! Do we have a deal?!”

Merlin rocked back onto his heels, no longer crowding Arthur in a failed attempt to retrieve his dragon. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, “and what do you get if you win?”

Arthur hummed in thought before seeming to decide, a grin positioning itself on his face. “Same thing, I get to ride on _your_ back.”

“No way, you’ll crush me!”

“It’s only fair!”

Merlin groaned, not actually annoyed but enjoying the haggling. “Fine!”

Just as the word left his mouth he hurled himself bodily forward, almost knocking Arthur over with the force of it. Laughs erupted loudly in the room as Arthur evaded Merlin’s attempts. They leapt on the bed and then off again, crashing into the bookshelf, causing the other toys to scatter on the floor.

Arthur practically squealed as Merlin’s fingers just grazed the outstretched wings on the dragon, Arthur quickly snatching it back, holding it closely to his body as he bounded out of the room and took the steps downstairs by three. Merlin feared he’d fall and break his neck but he landed gracefully at the bottom and Merlin raced after him.

The temptation to magic the thing out of his hand was just about to overtake Merlin when they stumbled into the living room and into the disapproving stares of the women sitting and having tea. To be fair, they both looked fairly amused but Merlin still felt like shrinking into himself.

“Sorry.” He whispered coyly, hanging his head in shame. Perhaps on another day he wouldn’t have been so fast to admonish himself but he didn’t like seeming a brat to adults he didn’t know well, nor did he wish to make his mother regret the decision to let Arthur come over.

Arthur hung his head as well, presenting the dragon to the room. “yeah, sorry. We were just playing a game.”

Rose looked between them and Hunith, they shared one of those smiles adults tended to give each other that Merlin hadn’t quite deciphered yet. “I think we can allow two young boys a bit of rambunctiousness, can we not, Ms. Emrys?”

Hunith nodded, “I think it’s only fair, but perhaps they could take it into the backyard before something gets broken?”

Arthur and Merlin both nodded fervently, before any dismissal was given they were already running toward the back door. The backyard wasn’t anything significant but it had a nice tree that Merlin loved to climb (and sometimes jump off of, if he was feeling rebellious and brave) and Merlin had some cans lined up on an old picnic table that was pushed against the side of the house that he used as targets for the rocks he magically threw at them.

The weather had taken a turn overnight and, while not particularly warm, the sky was now clear with the sun beating down on the overgrown grass. They hadn’t changed their plans to include the park, as much as Merlin may have been tempted to, as Arthur seemed excited to see Merlin’s house and he didn’t want to disappoint him.

Arthur pivoted to face Merlin, still under the shade of the small canopy that covered the patio. “I think this means I won, _Merlin_. Which means I get to ride on your back!”

Merlin crossed his arms, “no fair, the game was stopped before I even got a chance!”

Arthur shook his head, walking backward onto the lawn. “Rules are rules; you didn’t get the dragon from me,” he shook the toy that was still firmly in his grasp for emphasis, “so, I win.”

Merlin threw his head back and moaned emphatically before conceding and stepping up to Arthur. “Fine. Get on.”

Arthur grinned widely and hoisted himself on Merlin’s back, who grunted with the effort of it. He managed a few slow steps forward, before almost dropping Arthur. He squawked, “you have to _hold on,_ Arthur!”

“I am!” Arthur giggled, his arms wrapped around Merlin’s shoulders, the dragon clutched in one of his hands. “Come on, Merlin, I know you can do it. You’re stronger than you look.”

Merlin flushed from the almost-praise but rolled his eyes. “You’re bloody heavy! I’d like to see you try it.”

Arthur slid off Merlin’s back and readjusted his shirt, “get on, then.”

Merlin was surprised at Arthur immediately switching places, he seemed the stubborn type to milk any reward he got. Merlin wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth though, especially when there was a chance Arthur would be proven wrong for once.

Merlin jumped on his back and Arthur grabbed under his knees, hefting him up a little higher before taking a couple cautious steps, figuring out his balance. He quickly started walking as normally as one could when carrying someone else, and soon was almost jogging, Merlin laughing giddily on his back.

“You’re like a twig, I can barely feel you on my back.” Arthur chuckled.

“Shut up! I’m not a twig. Maybe you’re just freakishly strong.”

“At least you’re right about one thing.” Merlin tugged sharply on a strand of Arthur’s hair. “Ow! I’ll drop you, I swear!”

A stick came flying over the wooden fence that separated his backyard from his neighbors’, hitting Arthur squarely on the head. He let go of Merlin’s legs and Merlin stumbled backward, “that wasn’t me, I promise!”

“Merlin!” Arthur all but shouted, he looked ready to continue but was interrupted when a mop of brown hair appeared, followed by a smiling young face peeking over the fence.

“Merlin! Did you catch it this time-“ It was Merlin’s friend Will, who often would throw things into the yard as an announcement of his arrival, trying to see if Merlin would catch the object with his magic before it hit the ground. He looked surprised to see someone else with Merlin.

“Will!” Merlin squeaked, tossing his gaze between Arthur and his friend. Arthur seemed surprised, though a glare still decorated his face.

“Oh, I thought I heard another voice,” Will said, climbing over the wood and plopping steadily on his feet on the other side. That was his usual route to Merlin’s house. He wiped his hands on his trousers before offering it to Arthur. He was a rowdy kid, irreverent as they came, but his mother and Hunith had instilled strict rules of propriety, in that you always offer a new acquaintance a handshake as introduction. “I’m Will, Merlin’s friend.”

Arthur ignored the proffered hand, crossing his arms angrily over his chest. Will shrugged, sending Merlin an exasperated and somewhat confused look, “well someone’s grumpy.”

“You hit me with a stick!”

“It was an accident! I throw it so Merlin-“ He cut himself off swiftly, his eyes widening at his near slipup. “It was supposed to hit Merlin.”

Arthur scoffed, “yeah, that’s much better.”

Merlin stepped between them before either decided to start a wrestling match. Merlin had feared that if they met, they would prefer each other over Merlin and Merlin would lose the only two friends he had as he was absolved from the group due to his unneeded presence. It appeared that quite the opposite was true, however.

“Will, this is Arthur. We met at the playground a little while ago.” Neither seemed overly willing to exchange niceties. Will eyed Arthur warily, undoubtedly wondering if he knew of Merlin’s secret. Merlin managed to give him a discreet shake of the head to indicate that he should _not_ say anything about Merlin’s magic.

“So is he joining us then?” Arthur asked sourly. Merlin thought Arthur was a bit haste in his judgement of Will; it was an honest mistake, he truly didn’t mean to hit Arthur. Though, he suspected that he certainly wouldn’t mind doing so now.

“Yes,” Will said assuredly before Merlin had time to respond. He jutted his chin out as if to say that if Arthur wanted him to leave, he’d have to remove him himself. “And I don’t know why you’re acting like such a di-“

Merlin hit him on the arm to stop him before he said a cuss word. Merlin knew his mother didn’t possess any magical abilities but sometimes he could swear she had some form of super-hearing that let her know when anyone was misbehaving.

“Let’s just play a game.” Merlin offered.

“What game?” Arthur relaxed a bit, uncrossing his arms and fiddling with the toy dragon awkwardly.

“How about tag?” The two boys in front of him perked up, mischievous smiles now adorning their faces.

“Yeah, tag sounds fun!” Arthur said, “plus, I’m really fast!”

Will blew a raspberry dismissively, “so am I. I bet I’m faster because I’m taller!”

“No you’re not!”

They stood back-to-back and looked at Merlin expectantly. Merlin shook his head but smiled indulgently. “Sorry, Arthur, but Will is a little taller.”

“What?! No he’s not!”

Will pumped his fist in glorious victory, whooping as though he’d won some sort of prize for being barely an inch over Arthur. Merlin felt this could go on for awhile so in order to distract them, he surged forward and tapped Arthur on the shoulder, loudly exclaiming, “You’re it!”

They both startled into action, Will immediately running away from Arthur so as not to be tagged. Arthur outstretched his hand, reaching to tag Will. The backyard wasn’t very big, making it hard to get up to a full sprint, but Arthur appeared to be trying his hardest, cutting the corners sharply in his pursuit.

Will practically screamed as he tried to dance out of the tagger’s reach but he stumbled and Arthur’s hand landed on his back. Arthur whirled around and laughed as he ran for the tree and quickly climbed up its branches.

Will switched targets and began chasing Merlin who, admittedly, was not the fastest given his small stature and poor coordination. However, he could be scrappy as he weaved and dodged, narrowly avoiding being caught.

“Arthur, that’s cheating!” He shouted, “get down!”

Merlin was too busy evading capture to properly look at Arthur but he strongly suspected that the older boy was sticking his tongue out at him. “The tree is in the yard, it’s fair game.”

This triggered a change in Will as he abruptly switched directions and went for the tree, starting to scramble up. He laughed, something maniacal in the sound.

Will was a fast climber, quickly gaining on Arthur, who carefully scooted toward the edge of the branch he was perched on. Just as Will was about to tag him, he jumped off, landing smoothly into a roll. It was like something out of a movie.

Merlin’s heart lurched into his throat, scared Arthur had hurt himself, as the height from which he’d jumped hadn’t been a small one. But Arthur stood up proudly, waiting for the applause. Merlin wouldn’t make it him wait long.

“Arthur, that was awesome! How did you do that?!” Merlin bounded over, feeling a race of adrenaline caused by Arthur’s own impulsive act. Will made fast work of getting back down from the tree, a reluctantly impressed look on his face.

“I guess that _was_ pretty cool.” Will admitted, struggling to hold back a smile.

Arthur looked smug as he shrugged his shoulders, clearly trying to impress that this was par for the course with him, that he was _just that talented_ and did such things as often as anyone else blinked an eye. “I saw a man doing tricks in the city once, flipping off things and rolling on the ground. I started practicing as soon as I got home.”

“You should teach us!” Will said, trying in vain to hide his eagerness, his tone of voice betraying him.

Merlin didn’t think that was a good idea. He worried that one of them would undoubtedly hurt themselves and Merlin didn’t want to have to play the overzealous hero again as he had on the playground when he’d first met Arthur.

He wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t his own doing when small drops of water started trickling from the previously clear sky, foreboding in their promise of only worsening weather. Whether it was pure luck or Merlin’s magic, he was grateful for the excuse to dismiss any ideas of leaping off tall heights in favor of going inside.

“It was sunny just a second ago.” Arthur stated as he held his hand palm-up to feel the rain hit his skin. He squinted up at the clouds that had quickly gathered above them, confusion apparent in his creased brow.

“That’s odd.” Merlin tried for nonchalance, not quite sure if he’d missed the mark or not. Based on the look of suspicion Will was giving him, he’d failed. “Guess we should go inside.”

Arthur still looked confused, and a bit disappointed, but he nodded before they all headed toward the house.

“Wait!” Arthur yelled, pivoting and sprinting back into the yard, one hand held above his head to feebly keep the rain off his hair as it began pouring more vigorously. He swiped at the wet grass and darted back to the cover of the canopy. He displayed the small toy dragon in his palm as explanation. Merlin smiled at Arthur’s mad dash for an old piece of painted plastic, endeared that he remembered to grab it.

They shuffled inside, shutting the sliding glass door behind them. Merlin noticed the frowns both his friends were now wearing, a small stab of guilt needling its way into his gut. If he had been the one to shift the weather, he hadn’t consciously meant to, though he maintained that it was better than one of them breaking a leg or Merlin revealing his magic attempting to prevent that from happening.

“We could go upstairs and play knights and bandits?” Merlin hoped he could make up for the lack of daring parkour. As much as he didn’t want to deal with two bigheaded boys with penchants for leaping off things, he really didn’t like disappointing his friends either.

They both smiled and Arthur held up the dragon, “knights, bandits, and dragons!”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second ever Merthur/Merlin fic and I've been thinking about it and planning it for a *long* time. I wanted this chapter to be shorter than the ones to come as I understand that it isn't the most entertaining thing reading about children playing. I have more planned for the future chapters, though, to be entirely honest with you all, I'm not sure when I'll get them out but I'll try my best not to take too terribly long. There is no world-ending, must save everyone plot in this, it's just about Merlin and Arthur growing up together and Merlin happens to have magic. Thought I should tell you so that you're not blindsided by the lack of epic action. Like I said, this is self-indulgent and more of a character study than anything else. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!
> 
> Feedback, comments, and kudos are all greatly appreciated!


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